Sometimes you can be one of the best, but you don't accept that if you don't get the ring or win the Super Bowl. There's a lot of good teams between the Super Bowl winner and other teams. Once the Super Bowl is over, we lump everyone into the other 31, and that's not fair.
Interpretation
Success should not be solely measured by winning prestigious awards or titles.
John Madden emphasizes that greatness cannot be defined merely by accolades like a Super Bowl ring. He argues that many teams and individuals demonstrate exceptional talent and effort, yet only a few are recognized with the ultimate rewards, which overlooks the broader contributions of all who strive for excellence.
In practice
During a motivational speech for a youth sports team, to illustrate the value of hard work regardless of winning.
Since 1981, I've spent every Thanksgiving Day broadcasting a game, and it is one of my favorite days. You can say, 'Woe is me, I never get to be part of the tradition,' or you can say, 'Heck, we've got our own tradition, and it's pretty good.'
Coaches have to watch for what they don't want to see and listen to what they don't want to hear.
Any defensive coordinator is worried about two things: a running quarterback and a deep ball. You know, don't get beat deep and don't let the quarterback run, because a big part of your defense can't account for the quarterback as a runner, so he gets a free run.
Nobody, not even the head coach, would do anything to the football unilaterally, such as adjust the amount of pressure in a ball, without the quarterback not knowing. It would have to be the quarterback's idea.
I was an old tackle riding around talking to people about sports. Like I've said to a lot of people over the years, 'I only go where old tackles go, and if an old tackle does not belong there, I'm not going.'
You're not going to eliminate concussions. Anytime you hit your head, you have a chance of getting a concussion, in any sport, too. I think we have to learn more about it. Part of it is rules, part of it is equipment, part of it is medical studies, knowing more about the brain.
I always felt tennis and winning was a byproduct of doing everything right.
If you have no critics you'll likely have no success.
First of all, what happens is, when you're good at something, you spend a lot of time with it. People identify you with that sport, so it becomes part of your identity.
You can't run a business without taking risks. The brave may not live forever - but the cautious do not live at all!
Success requires persistence, the ability to not give up in the face of failure. I believe that optimistic explanatory style is the key to persistence.
You build a successful career, regardless of your field of endeavor, by the dozens of little things you do on and off the job.
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